This invention pertains to a respirator that can be conveniently disposed beneath a wearer""s chin when not in use.
There are two important reasons for wearing a respirator: to prevent impurities or contaminants from entering the wearer""s breathing track; and to protect others from being exposed to pathogenic microbes and other contaminants exhaled by the wearer. When wearing a respirator for either of these reasons, occasions frequently arise which require the wearer to temporarily displace the body of the respirator from their face. For instance, the wearer may temporarily leave a contaminated area for a short time, or the wearer may wish to briefly speak to another person. When the respirator body is temporarily displaced from the wearer""s face, it is desirable to keep the respirator body readily accessible so that it can be quickly retrieved and returned to its position over the wearer""s nose and mouth. Otherwise, it becomes more likely that the person would not consistently wear the respirator in the work place, creating unsafe conditions for the wearer or others who may be exposed to contaminants exhaled by the wearer.
The present invention provides a new respirator which has a harness that allows the respirator body to be retained in a convenient location when removed from a wearer""s face. In the respirator of the invention, the harness is attached to the respirator body and includes an element that contains a curved elongated slot and a substantially flat, flexible strap. The substantially flat, flexible strap slidably passes through the curved elongated slot in the element. The curved elongated configuration of the slot deforms the strap, causing the strap to assume the curved configuration of the slot to frictionally engage the element at the point where the strap passes through the curved elongated slot.
The use of such a harness in a respirator is particularly beneficial for temporarily storing the respirator body when not in use and for conveniently remounting the respirator body upon the wearer""s face. When a wearer desires to remove the respirator body from their face, the flexible strap can be slid through the curved elongated slot to create slack sufficient to allow the respirator body to be stored beneath the wearer""s chin. When the wearer desires to return the respirator body to its position over the wearer""s nose and mouth, the wearer simply pulls on the strap, and the respirator body rises up into position over the nose and mouth of the wearer. The frictional engagement between the strap and the element allows the respirator body to remain in that position until a buckle or other suitable means is engaged to more snugly secure the respirator body to the person""s face. Thus, the respirator of the invention is advantageous in that: (1) the respirator body can be conveniently disposed beneath the wearer""s chin when not in use; and (2) the respirator body can be provisionally supported by itself over the nose and mouth of the wearer until a more permanent securement is achieved. Both of these advantages improve the likelihood that the wearer will consistently wear the respirator in the work place. The former advantage does so by keeping the respirator body readily accessible, and the latter advantage does so by making it easier for the wearer to reposition the respirator body over their nose and mouth.
In addition to the advantages (1) and (2) described above, the invention also is advantageous in that the harness is very simple in design. The harness employs a minimal number of parts, which do not have a complicated structure and are relatively easy to manufacture.